Max Baucus

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Max Sieben Baucus (born December 11, 1941) is the senior United States Senator from Montana and is a member of the Democratic Party.

Baucus was born in Helena, Montana, and graduated from Helena High School in 1959. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree from Stanford University. He is married to Wanda Minge, and has one son, Zeno.

He began law practice in Missoula, Montana, in 1971. He then served as both Executive Director and Committee Coordinator for Montana's 1972 Constitutional Convention.

In 1973, Baucus was elected to the Montana State Legislature. He served as a state representative from Missoula until his election to the United States House of Representatives in 1974. He was re-elected in 1976. Baucus was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 and has served consecutively ever since.

Senator Baucus currently serves as Ranking Democratic Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, which he chaired from 2001 to 2003. Baucus is also a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Baucus is one of the most moderate members of his party, frequently breaking with them on the issues of taxes, the environment, and gun politics. Baucus voted in favor of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and was at President Bush's side as he signed it. He has fairly consistently voted against repealing the portions of that bill and more recent tax cut bills that benefit upper income taxpayers. While Baucus voted in favor of the Brady Bill and the first ban on assault weapons, he has since switched positions on gun control, opposing most new gun control laws. In 1999 he was the one Democrat to vote against an amendment by Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) that sought to "regulate the sale of firearms at gunshows." On other issues though, Baucus is more in tune with the mainstream of his party. He is staunchly pro-choice and regularly receives 100% ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America and other reproductive rights advocacy groups. He opposes the United States embargo against Cuba and the restrictions on travel there. He was one of only 26 senators to vote against the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005. And despite his mixed record on environmental issues, Baucus has long opposed opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling.

The 2002, Montana elections gained a spot on the national radar when Baucus' opponent, state senator Mike Taylor, accused Baucus of having implied that Taylor was a gay hairdresser in a campaign ad. The ad alleged that Taylor had embezzled funds from the cosmetology school he once owned while showing footage from the early '80s of Taylor massaging another man's face while wearing a tight suit with an open shirt. The commercial was featured on Comedy Central's The Daily Show along with interviews with the major third-party candidates for Baucus' seat. Taylor dropped out of the race and Baucus won with 63% of the vote.

In the Senator's spare time, he enjoys motorcycling across Montana. He rode a Harley to the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. in 2000, with his brother John and cousin Chase. On July 3, 2004, Baucus suffered minor injuries when his motorcycle hit gravel as he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Local police confirmed the Senator was not drinking alcohol prior to the incident.

The Senator's wife, Wanda, made national headlines on April 21, 2004, after she was charged with assault stemming from an incident at a D.C.-area garden center. On June 2, she reached a deal with prosecutors under which she would avoid prosecution if she completed 40 hours of community service within 6 months.

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